Friday, June 22, 2012

What Is An X-Ray Tech?

Despite the profession's rising popularity as an occupational preference, many people still wonder, "what exactly is a x-ray technician?"

Basically, an x-ray tech is a specialized member of the health care area who is an expert in utilizing x-ray equipment.

By using these high-tech tools, they are able to help physicians detect a range of health problems that might appear in the human body. 

How to Become an X-Ray Tech 

The route to learning to be a professional x-ray technician requires the individual to be schooled and competent in numerous technical tasks and procedures. Gaining certification through an recognized x-ray tech school (check out this list of accredited programs http://xraytechnicianschoolsincalifornia.org/) requires one to commit from one to four years of time. 

The degree of study that should eventually be required to become a tech is dependent upon whether the student wants an advanced degree or a standard certification. There is, as you might guess, a primary link between the amount of money and prospects for advancement you ultimately find in work, and the amount of training completed. 

Just What Does an X-Ray Tech Do?

  • In most businesses, an x-ray tech is responsible for these things: 
  • Taking care of patients through the x-ray procedure 
  • Checking x-rays for serious concerns before the patient meets the doctor 
  • Knowledge and competence with x-ray machines 
  • Collecting, saving and indexing of all doctors remarks and x-rays 
  • Standard repairs and maintenance and repair of x-ray gear to assure its usefulness and adherence to regulations 
  • For many kinds of health care organizations, the tech's function will likely feature a number of further tasks vital to daily operations.  

Where you should Look For X-Ray Technician Jobs

A variety of types of medical centers employ x-ray techs, so you will have a range of options once you begin your job hunt. It needs to be pointed out, though, that the daily duties of the technician may be markedly different at different varieties of locations. Understanding these minor distinctions before you decide to take a position is important, because it will help you get the best possible job for you. 

Exactly What Is A X-Ray Tech? - The Big Picture

So, there you've got a general answer to the original question of "what exactly is an x-ray technician?" While these professionals will invariably handle taking patients' x-rays, managing the equipment, etc. in addition, they fulfill a great many other functions in many medical care centers. All of the exceptions aside, x-ray technicians can routinely expect to earn a good salary and find lots of opportunities.

Getting Started In Licensed Practical Nursing

Getting Started In Licensed Practical Nursing
The importance of licensed practical nursing is apparent when one considers that a nurse is definitely the first person you see when you are born, and the last person you'll see when you die.

A Certified Practical Nurse undoubtedly fulfills this description, however is also the important link between the doctor or Registered nurse and the patient.

An LPN may perform various surgical procedures. Many of these methods might range between easy to incredibly complex. Those procedures may include: Taking vitals (blood pressure level, pulse, and many others.), accumulating patients health information, planning and also giving injections, assisting individuals with personal hygiene, amassing laboratory samples, carrying out lab tests, taking care of newborns, instructing households when it comes to good health habits, and supervising nursing assistants and aids. The main functions in accredited practical nursing might be divided into 4 primary areas: Monitoring, Lab Work, Patient Education and Specialty Roles.

Responsibilities In Licensed Practical Nursing

Monitoring

Simply because the LPN is a specialized link in between the doctor and so the patient, it is rather essential that the nurse contains good communication abilities. The nurse ought to be capable to keep track of the patient's vitals and then watch for side effects to medications. They ought to be able to communicate with the patient what is going on to them, how drugs can affect them and all the doctors' data. When there are actually any changes with the patient the nurse should be capable to report back to the physician all the changes and finding that occurred with their patient.

A practical nurse collects details right from patients such has food eaten, fluids patient takes in and expels, and family history. A lot of this particular info is documented for records for example insurance forms and recommendations.

Laboratory and Administrative duties

There are numerous opportunities for LPN's in hospital laboratories. Several nurses will probably collect examples and then carry out the test. The nurses additionally assist doctors throughout their tests as well as report any sort of results towards labs. A professional nurse could also work within the doctor's office arranging appointments and also performing other administrative tasks.

Educating Patients

Lots of LPN's working in nursing homes or perhaps home healthcare carry out a variety of tasks concerning education of the patient. Examples of these are fixing dishes, instructing patients around healthy habits, medications, dressing wounds, and also physical therapy. A lot of nurses provide emotional support for the patient as well as for their loved ones.

Specialty tasks

In some instances LPN's are responsible for more specialized job roles. These might include assisting in delivering and caring for babies, home nursing care, and also the care and keeping track of of medical equipment.

Licensed Practical Nursing Within The Big Picture

The Licensed Practical Nurse might work within hospitals, physician's offices and also nursing homes. A LPN is not an easy job. A nurse will probably spend much time on her feet and also lifting people and coping with difficult individuals. Licensed practical nursing necessitates a person to wear many hats, and this is why they're such a critical part of the medical care industry.


When trying to choose which nursing college degree to follow, many students try to ask the question “What's practical nursing and how is it dissimilar to being an RN?” At first glance, there does not seem like a great many distinctions involving the 2 kinds of nurses. Upon deeper examination, however, graduates coming from practical nursing courses do take up an exclusive place within the healthcare industry which causes them distinct from Registered Nurses in numerous essential areas.

What is Practical Nursing?

Practical nursing is simply a specialized area in the nursing occupation manned by professionals who are trained simply to carry out particular duties. This isn't to say, however, that practical nurses never carry a number of obligations at the medical institutions that utilize them.

The normal grad of a practical nursing program works such obligations as checking and reporting patient vital signs as well as other information, giving tests, accumulating tissue as well as fluid samples, cleaning and dressing wounds, and usually dealing with patient’s needs. Which of these jobs a practical nurse is certified to execute differs by state, and quite often requires the individual to have an additional professional certificate of training.

How are Practical Nurses Different from Registered Nurses?

In contrast to the practical nurse, the Registered Nurse is certified to execute any kind of activity required to help a doctor’s management of his or her patients. It is really an important difference coming from the practical nurse that is merely allowed to execute particular tasks in most cases must work within the direct supervision of the Registered Nurse or doctor.

It's for this reason that a lot of nursing students who wonder “what exactly is practical nursing” prefer to pursue a conventional nursing degree as opposed to an LPN diploma or certificate once they see the dissimilarities involving the two. Persons, however, the fact that practical nurses can start doing work in their professions in less than 12 months, rather than the two-or-more years needed to be a Registered Nurse, make practical nursing a fascinating introductory position to the health care industry.

What's Practical Nursing Training Similar to?

To be able to finished the practical nursing training necessary to obtain that initial position as being a practical nurse, an individual should have either a certificate or degree coming from a certified school. For those who carry family or work obligations that make it difficult to find time for school, LPN programs online offer an amazing alternative to conventional schools for doing the classroom segment on the required classes. Either way, your training will involve both time spent understanding theory and a number of hrs spent in a hospital or other facility really gaining hands-on experiences. It's this sort of real-life training which offers students with the best answer towards the question “what is practical nursing?”

Jumping From LPN To BSN

By earning admittance to an accredited LPN to BSN program, Licensed Practical Nurses have the opportunity to improve their career prospects significantly.

Not only does this important degree qualify a Practical nurse to be a Registered Nurse, but it often guarantees that the nurse will be paid at the high end of the range for RNs too.

Bridge programs (including online LPN to RN programs) providing this popular degree can be completed in as few as four semesters, and are traditionally accessible online to working LPNs.

The Definition of a BSN

The abbreviation BSN stands for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and it is, for all intents and purposes, the equivalent of a four-year university nursing degree. Between RNs, those that hold a BSN degree tend to be entrusted with additional responsibility, earn higher salaries, and get better opportunities for growth.

LPN to BSN Programs - How to Become a BSN

Whether you are currently an RN or LPN, it is possible to become a BSN by registering in and successfully finishing a LPN to BSN bridge program. Admission requirements for the majority of programs call for pupils to be a currently licensed Practical nurse or RN, have documented evidence of at least one year of experience working as an LPN or RN, and hold a degree or certification from an accredited LPN or RN program. Many programs carry additional requirements for references, minimum GPAs in previous course work, and minimum scores on standardized entry exams.

The standard material included in LPN to BSN programs includes both nursing theory and clinical study, and is generally finished in just two years (or four semesters).  Because many health care facilities opt to put BSNs in administrative positions, most programs also concentrate most of their course load on the skills required in such roles.

For LPNs, completing their accredited bridge program qualifies them to sit for the NCLEX-RN test that's required to be an RN.

Online LPN to BSN Programs

A large number of LPN to BSN bridge programs are accessible online to account for the fact that most students are currently full-time Practical nurses or RNs. Whereas web-based LPN programs require some level of clinical work to finish, classes for BSN bridge programs can be finished entirely online.

Should You Become a BSN?

Any quick internet search on the subject of becoming a BSN will reveal a number of conflicting views from those involved with the nursing field. While it is true your starting pay after earning your degree may not be much higher than an RN’s, over time, you will have the capability to advance far more easily than your colleagues who haven't completed a BSN. With this advancement, obviously comes higher earning potential - not to mention more opportunity to build the precise kind of career you’ve always desired.

The choice of whether or not to earn a BSN is a personal one, and the extra commitment and cost necessary to pursue a higher degree is not for everybody. You should consider, however, the belief that there's a growing sentiment in the health care industry for making BSN degrees a requirement for all RNs. Whether or not this will come to pass is uncertain, but what is guaranteed is that enrolling today in an LPN to BSN program will put you in an excellent position to succeed in professional nursing whatever the future holds.

Would You Like To Become An LPN?


If you would like to enter the nursing field, learning to be a LPN could be a wonderful initial step. The fastest way for you to become a Licensed Practical Nurse is usually enrolling in an online LPN training course.

Because they are typically cheaper and easy to fit into your schedule, LPN programs online hold a tremendous attraction to a good deal of today's students.

On top of that, because nursing is among the fastest-growing occupations in the country, you can be certain after taking the handful of simple steps outlined below that you'll be well on your way to making a great salary. 

Finish an Approved LPN Training Program

Step One of your quest will be to select a well-accredited LPN school, and complete its required syllabus. Learning to become an LPN is achievable online or in a traditional class setting by using an employment center, technical college, or community college. This kind of instruction takes just one year to finish. 

Sit for the NCLEX-PN Exam

The next thing in the process is to get licensed with the appropriate regulatory body. The NCLEX-PN, or National Council Licensure Exam, is the examination given to all potential LPNs for licensure. The NCSBN conducts this examination at licensed centers in every state in the Union. 

Obtain Experience

Your next step will be to get some good on-the-job training in the nursing field. The reason for this will be to give the future LPN with first-hand contact with the actual rigors of being a nurse, and also to develop essential competencies.

Begin Your Employment

If you have successfully passed the licensing test and received a bit of experience along the way, you will be prepared to find an entry-level job opportunity. The great news is the nursing field is loaded with great opportunities. 

Why You Should want to Be an LPN

The chance to make a great living while experiencing and enjoying the added benefits of helping others is among the best reasons for being an LPN. The latest annual practical nursing salary is $36,000 to $43,000 a year. With a lucrative career in nursing so immediately in your reach, now is the time to get started on working your way through these handful of steps to becoming an LPN.